Fade
by Muse10
Summary: The last two elves in Middle Earth have never been close, but there is one thing they share other than their love for seven mortals: grief. Now one lies dying while the other is given a glimpse of the future.


Disclaimer: Don't own LOTR

All dialogue is in elvish.

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**Fade**

In the ancient depth of the Fangorn, the trees showed favor for the elven queen of a mortal realm, leading her to the creature she sought – the elven prince of a people who no longer existed in Middle Earth. The two were barely friends, simply because they spent little time sharing one another's company, even though they were the last of their kind. They had lived very different lives and were very different souls, yet their paths had intertwined at several points, most notably this one. For at this point the two would recognize their shared fate, and here they would meet for the last time.

The queen found the prince by a small stream, leaning back against a tree that had been born with the world. The roots seemed to cradle the exhausted body, and the branches were spread to allow a ray of sunlight reach his skin. His eyes were closed and if it were not for his shallow breath, Arwen would have thought him already dead.

She knelt next to him, a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Legolas?"

It was barely a whisper, but his eyes opened all the same and locked on her face. "Arwen. Why are you here?"

"Many reasons, most of them selfish," she replied.

"Is he…"

She shook her head, understanding the question before it was complete. "No, Aragorn remains in Gondor. He wished to come but I...I warned that it was not his place. He would want to heal, and when he failed he would not leave, and he would not understand. He can never truly understand."

"Perhaps he is one of the few mortals who has ever come close to understanding, though," said Legolas. "I am glad he is not present, but at the same time, my heart breaks. I am lonely, Arwen, so lonely."

She gripped his cold hand and moved her other hand from his shoulder to his face, where her fingers gently held his cheek. "I am here, my friend. I know I cannot aid your grieving heart, but I can offer my presence to comfort your mind and body until you sleep."

He squeezed her hand and reached out to briefly touch her face, a silent thank you. He frowned, finding her cheeks were wet. "Why do you cry, my lady?"

"Our fates are the same, Legolas. I weep for us both, and I weep for all that has been lost," she answered.

Legolas nodded, "Nienna watches over us, when it seems the other Valar leave us abandoned."

"I pray she will plead on your behalf, and Mandos will let you enter his halls in peace," said Arwen.

"I will pray the same for you, Arwen, when the time comes and your mortal lord is dead," he whispered, knowing the words of her doomed future were little comfort. The two fell into silence, the sun fading as quickly as the prince. His breath hitched and a hand went to his chest, gripping at his aching heart.

Arwen put her arms around him. She had to ask him, while he could still answer. She had come to be his comfort, knowing she would have none in her final hours, but she also came because she had never seen anyone fade completely, and she had to know. "What is it like?"

"It's like drowning," he gasped out. "Drowning on memories, perfectly clear, of what was, of their mortality. Feeling alone, because I am entirely abandoned; they have no need of me, they hold the gift of the mortals or they have been fulfilled by the call of the sea. Being pulled under a river of sadness, of grief, because we will never meet again. My kin are all gone from this world – and Gandalf with them – to a place I cannot follow; not now. It offers no hope for me, because those seven I loved are dead, all except Estel who will end soon enough. I feel my heart bursting it is so filled with despair. I cannot breathe, I have no strength to fight, and I am so cold."

Arwen felt as though her own body would give in to the overwhelming grief radiating from the other elf. She hugged him tightly, "Let me warm you, at least, and I will be your companion. How long have you wandered the Fangorn alone with such thoughts?"

"Nigh a year, lady, since Gimli…it is our fate, no one should accompany such grief. You should leave, Arwen, you have time yet to enjoy your happiness."

"And I shall, but I gave my word to Aragorn that I would stay until you were at peace, Legolas." As twilight settled in, the silence was replaced by the gasping breaths of the prince. His eyes clouded over and he no longer seemed to recognize Arwen as his body closed down. She held him through it all, whispering words of comfort and praying to the Valar.

Finally, the first stars pierced the darkening sky, and it seemed Elbereth had finally heard the cries of the last elves in Middle Earth. Legolas' body ceased its struggles and clear blue eyes stared up at the stars through the branches of a great tree. With the air remaining in his body, he sang the first lines of a song dedicated to Nienna the Weeper, perhaps the saddest melody known to elven kind. His voice died off, so Arwen took up the tune. She continued to hold him until the song was finished, even though she knew he was dead long before then. At last, she kissed his forehead and closed his eyes. "May you find peace in the Halls of Mandos, and may Nienna grant you an end to your grief," she whispered.


End file.
